Scientists Discover 100 New Species In the Rariphotic Zone Off the Coast of Bermuda

Scientists have discovered a new ocean zone located off the coast of Bermuda that is harboring more than 100 new species. Researchers discovered the new zone during a research mission to Bermuda undertaken by Nekton—the British charity for Ocean Exploration, report India Sturgis and Sarah Knapton for The Telegraph.

Because the waters of Bermuda are well-studied, the team of scientists from Oxford University weren’t expecting to find the wealth of diverse new species that they did. According to The Telegraph, the team discovered an algal forest on the summit of an underwater mountain harboring gardens of “twisted wire corals and sea fans, communities of sea urchins, green moray eels, yellow hermit crabs, [and] small pink and yellow fish …”

The research team clocked hundreds of hours surveying the Rariphotic Zone making use of submersibles and remotely operated vehicles capable of reaching depths of 6,500 feet. Tiny crustaceans, black wire coral reaching up to two meters, and dozens of algae were among the new species cataloged during the survey. As Professor Rogers puts it, there is far more ocean to explore, so the group is planning a mission to the Indian Ocean later this year.